The group says it wants “a fair say for local communities, who are increasingly unable to stop the destruction of their towns and countryside”.

The news comes ahead of the launch on Monday of a major campaign to save England’s countryside by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The campaign is backed by MPs including Zac Goldsmith and Nick Herbert, as well as comedians Jo Brand and Sir Tony Robinson and War Horse author Michael Morpurgo, who have all signed a letter in today’s Daily Telegraph.

Their protest comes after the new National Planning Policy Framework, which was introduced earlier this year, requires councils to promote “sustainable development” in planning decisions.

The 52-page NPPF – which replaced over 1,400 pages of existing guidance – was bitterly opposed by rural campaigners and readers of The Daily Telegraph through its ‘Hands Off Our Land’ campaign.

In the letter the group says: “The English countryside is precious, inspirational and irreplaceable, but it is being eroded every day as a result of poorly planned development.

“There is a better way, which is why we are supporting the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s new charter to save our countryside. We hope your readers will also support it.”

They urge people to sign the “Charter to save our countryside” on the CPRE’s website, adding: “If we don’t fight for our countryside now, we will lose it.”

Urging ministers not to “sacrifice our countryside”, they add: “Previously developed brownfield land should be re-used first to protect the beauty and tranquillity of our countryside and breathe new life into our towns and cities.”

The group also urges ministers to let local people “who are increasingly unable to stop the destruction of their towns and countryside.

“The cards are stacked in favour of powerful developers. We need a democratic planning system that gives communities a much stronger say in the future of their area.”

They say: “The country urgently needs more affordable homes for our rising population, including in villages and market towns.

“But they must be sensitively located; with excellent environmental standards and high quality design that enhances local character. Poorly designed developments sprawling into the countryside are no answer.”

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “Our reforms are totally focussed on better development and on building the homes we urgently need in a way that safeguards and protects the countryside and the green belt.

“Local people have more power than ever to decide which sites will be used for development and which they want protected.

“This can be done at a neighbourhood level and more widely by ensuring locally-determined Local Plans are at the heart of the planning system.

“We have abolished top-down Whitehall targets and scrapped the last Administration’s Regional Strategies that threatened to remove Green Belt protection in 30 towns and cities across the country.”

The letter in full:

Campaign to Protect Rural England

5-11 Lavington Street

London

SE1 ONZ

Sir,

The English countryside is precious, inspirational and irreplaceable, but it is being eroded every day as a result of poorly planned development. There is a better way, which is why we are supporting the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s new charter to save our countryside. We hope your readers will also support it.

CPRE’s Charter has three demands.

First and most obviously we are saying: don’t sacrifice our countryside. Previously developed brownfield land should be re-used first to protect the beauty and tranquillity of our countryside and breathe new life into our towns and cities.

Second, we want a fair say for local communities, who are increasingly unable to stop the destruction of their towns and countryside. The cards are stacked in favour of powerful developers. We need a democratic planning system that gives communities a much stronger say in the future of their area.

Third, the country urgently needs more affordable homes for our rising population, including in villages and market towns. But they must be sensitively located; with excellent environmental standards and high quality design that enhances local character. Poorly designed developments sprawling into the countryside are no answer.

Please sign the Charter to save our countryside, which is on CPRE’s website. If we don’t fight for our countryside now, we will lose it.